---
title: Kamloops home-based business rules
question: "Can I run a business from my home?"
place: Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/kamloops
category: Starting and running a business
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Kamloops
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/home-based-business/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/home-based-business.json"
---

# Kamloops home-based business rules

**Question:** Can I run a business from my home?

**Short answer:** Yes. In Kamloops a home-based business is allowed with residential uses in most zones if you hold a City business licence and follow Zoning Bylaw 55, s. 3.3. The owner must live there, space is limited to the lesser of 50 m² or 20% of the home, and it cannot operate from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Kamloops, https://www.kamloops.ca)  
**Cost:** A $15 non-refundable application fee, then the category fee (2026): handicrafts and arts $77; minor trades and occupations $77; business services $168 (Fees and Charges Bylaw 44-14, Schedule D).  
**How long:** Two to four business days for a home-based business (City FAQ).  
**Where:**
- Online: Apply for a business licence, https://www.kamloops.ca/eApply
- Phone: Business Licensing, 250-828-3481
- Email: Business Licensing, business@kamloops.ca

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Yes. Home-based businesses are allowed with residential uses in the zones in Divisions 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 of the Zoning Bylaw, except in an accessory dwelling unit in a commercial zone, and must follow s. 3.3.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 55 Home Based Businesses Regulations, Zoning Requirements](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/business-licensing/home-business-guidelines)
  - Official wording: "Home-Based Businesses are permitted in conjunction with all residential uses in the zones listed in Divisions Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, and Twelve, of Zoning Bylaw No. 55, except within an accessory dwelling unit in a commercial zone"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 55, s. 8.1.2(a) (R1 zone)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "Home-Based Business, subject to Division 3, Section 3.3"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** Yes. All businesses, including home-based ones, need a City business licence. There is a $15 non-refundable application fee, then the category fee. Examples (effective January 1, 2026): handicrafts and arts $77; minor trades and occupations $77; business services $168.
  - Source: [Business Licensing](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/business-licensing)
  - Official wording: "All businesses, including home-based businesses, require a Business Licence issued by the City."
  - Source: [Business Licensing Frequently Asked Questions, FAQ](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/business-licensing/frequently-asked-questions)
  - Official wording: "$15 non-refundable application fee"
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw 44-14, Schedule D, Sch. D, items 3, 13, 18, 41](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/204231/)
  - Official wording: "HANDICRAFTS AND ARTS" … "(a) General $67.20 n/a $77.00 n/a" … "MINOR TRADES AND OCCUPATIONS" … "(a) Each Business Service $146.00/each $111.00/each $168.00/each"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** Owner lives in the home, with up to two non-resident helpers (one in multi-unit housing; none if clients visit). Space is the lesser of 50 m² or 20% of the home. No on-street parking; one business vehicle. Storage only inside the home or an accessory building, no outdoor displays. One unlit 0.28 m² nameplate. No operating 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Customers may not visit except for listed types.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 55, ss. 3.3.1, 3.3.3, 3.3.5, 3.3.7, 3.3.10, 3.3.11](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "together with not more than two" … "The floor space used by a Home-Based Business in a Dwelling Unit and Accessory Building shall not exceed the lesser of:" … "A Home-Based Business, its employees, and its suppliers shall not use on-Street" … "one single, unilluminated nameplate not exceeding 0.28 m2 in area and placed within" … "Home-Based Business shall not operate between the hours of 22:00 (10:00 pm) and" … "The client or customer of a Home-Based Business is not permitted to enter the property" … "The storage of goods, materials, equipment, or finished products is permitted only where it is accessory to the Home-Based Business and only when such storage is wholly contained within the Dwelling Unit or a Building accessory"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Businesses not allowed:** Salvage, repair, storage, maintenance, detailing or sale of motor vehicles, their engines or parts, and vehicle body repair or painting. The Zoning Bylaw definition also excludes daycare facilities, short-term rental accommodation, meat cutting, and any business where motor vehicles are serviced, sold or leased. (Sources differ: The City's home-based business web page repeats the definition but lists 'Bed and Breakfasts' where the bylaw says 'Short-Term Rental Accommodation'; the bylaw wording is used. A home-based daycare is a separate listed use with its own licence fee ($77 for 1 to 10 children in care in a home-based, owner-operated principal residence).)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 55, ss. 3.3.8; s. 2.2 (Home-Based Business)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "are not permitted as Home-" … "Businesses shall not include daycare facilities; Short-Term Rental Accommodation;" … "meat cutting; or any undertaking in respect of which motor vehicles are serviced,"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021, s. 3.3 (Home-Based Business); Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw No. 9-60, 2012
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 55, s. 1.1.1; s. 3.3](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as “Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021”." … "All Home-Based Businesses in the City shall comply with the following regulations:"
  - Source: [https://kamloops.civicweb.net/filepro/document/204252/Business%20Licence%20and%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20No.%209-60.pdf, title](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/filepro/document/204252/Business%20Licence%20and%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20No.%209-60.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BUSINESS LICENCE AND REGULATION BYLAW NO. 9-60, 2012"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Kamloops allows home-based businesses with residential uses in the zones in Divisions 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 of the [Zoning Bylaw](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849), except in an accessory dwelling unit in a commercial zone. They must follow s. 3.3. All businesses, including home-based ones, need a City business licence. Home-based businesses keep the licence on file and show it when asked.

## Steps

1. Read s. 3.3 of the Zoning Bylaw and confirm your plan fits.
2. Apply for a business licence at kamloops.ca/eApply and pay the $15 application fee, then the category fee.
3. If you handle food, Interior Health requirements also apply.

## Good to know

- Staff: the owner lives in the home, with up to two helpers who live elsewhere (one in multi-unit housing; none if clients visit). Space: the lesser of 50 m² or 20% of the home.
- No on-street parking. One business vehicle plus one trailer up to 7.3 m.
- Storage only inside the home or an accessory building, with no outdoor displays. One unlit nameplate of 0.28 m².
- No operating from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Customers may not visit, except: music or art instruction and tutoring (up to two students at once); on lots with only one single-detached or one two-unit building, listed personal-service businesses, one client at a time and up to nine visits a day, by appointment, with one extra parking space; and farm-product purchases in A1, CR1 to CR3, R7 and R8 zones (three customers at a time). Client-visit businesses cannot be on a lot with a residential suite.
- Not allowed: salvage, repair, storage, maintenance, detailing or sale of motor vehicles, their engines or parts, and vehicle body repair or painting. The bylaw definition also excludes daycare facilities, short-term rental accommodation, meat cutting, and any business where motor vehicles are serviced, sold or leased. A home daycare has its own licence category ($77 for 1 to 10 children in care).
- Short-term rentals have their own rules.

## Official forms and pages

- [Home-Based Business Regulations (Zoning Bylaw 55, section 3.3)](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/business-licensing/home-business-guidelines)
- [Zoning Bylaw 55 (PDF)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)

## Related questions

- [Kamloops business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/business-licence.md)
- [Kamloops short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/short-term-rental.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/home-based-business.md)
- [Sun Peaks](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sun-peaks/home-based-business.md)
- [Barriere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/barriere/home-based-business.md)
- [Logan Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/logan-lake/home-based-business.md)
- [Ashcroft](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/home-based-business.md)
- [Cache Creek](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cache-creek/home-based-business.md)
- [Merritt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/merritt/home-based-business.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 55 Home Based Businesses Regulations, City of Kamloops](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/business-licensing/home-business-guidelines) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 55 (PDF), City of Kamloops](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw 44-14, Schedule D (PDF), City of Kamloops](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/204231/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Business Licensing, City of Kamloops](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/business-licensing) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Business Licensing Frequently Asked Questions, City of Kamloops](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/business-licensing/frequently-asked-questions) (read 2026-11-05)
- [https://kamloops.civicweb.net/filepro/document/204252/Business%20Licence%20and%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20No.%209-60.pdf](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/filepro/document/204252/Business%20Licence%20and%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20No.%209-60.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Kamloops. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/home-based-business/_